2006-09-21 02:58:12 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Diet & Fitness
I do, for several reasons. First, I work from home, which has many benefits, but if I don't get out of the house regularly it becomes oppressive, particularly in the winter months. So having a gym membership gives me a place to get away from work/home and do something other than ordering a venti cappucino with an extra shot and a cinnamon bun.
Second, because my work is completely sedentary, I need to get up and move vigorously from time to time. Having a gym/health club membership compensates for the fact that I don't have a physically active job. My 18-year-old daughter works in a bakery when she's not in class; most days, she rides her bike to her job and then spends several hours unloading tubs of frozen batter, moving industrial-sized trays of bread, and walking back and forth between the display case and the ovens. So she's proud of the muscles she's getting from all this lifting. The most vigorous exercise I get at my job is when I have to move the laptop on and off the desk. :-)
Third, I live in Portland, Oregon, which means for five to seven months out of the year, it's either raining, just finished raining, or just about to rain. Since I'm not writing a personal ad, I can go ahead and say that I don't particularly like walks in the rain, but I really hate RUNS in the rain. So while I could jog through my neighborhood, when it's 38 degrees outside and there's a cold drizzle that sticks to your skin like congealing frozen bacon-fat, I really like being able to go indoors and use the equipment at the gym.
Fourth, I like the variety that the gym provides me. I can go in and spend 30 minutes on one of several kinds of cardio machines (though I've settled on the elliptical cross-trainers as I feel they give me the most focused use of my time), then I can go to the weight room and work on my upper-body strength. It's a great balance, combining long-term aerobic exercise with short-burst strength training.
Fifth... well, okay, you might get the impression, from all this physical activity, that I'm trim and athletic. You'd be wrong. I'm 50 and overweight -- which is the main reason I exercise. If you sort all people by two questions -- do you exercise, and are you overweight? -- it's no surprise that people who DO exercise and are NOT overweight are at the lowest risk of heart disease. And it's equally no surprise that people who DON'T exercise and ARE overweight are at the highest risk. What surprised me: people who ARE overweight but DO exercise are in the second-lowest group when it comes to heart disease risk. A skinny couch potato is actually more likely to have heart trouble than a fat guy on a cardio machine. So if you're worried about your heart, the first step (assuming your doctor OKs it) is to get moving.
And last... although I'm 50 and overweight, I have never needed to talk to my doctor about whether Viagra is right for me, shall we say. However -- I have determined with absolute certainty that while I have no problem getting started, I enjoy the finish a LOT more when I'm working out regularly. Part of it is just being fit enough to get into all those kinky positions I learned to love when my wife and I were sleek young things; but surprisingly, the actual physical sensations of arousal, stimulation and satisfaction are just way better when I'm working out regularly. (As long as I'm not so sore from doing too much of a new exercise, of course. Yeah, that's happened.) And let's just say my wife likes it too.
2006-09-21 03:37:36 · answer #1 · answered by Scott F 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I go to Planet Fitness. They don't offer classes or have a pool, but they're open 24hrs except on weekends. They're located near where I work and where I go to my Weight Watchers meetings so it's a convenient location. And my company has a deal with them for reduced rates, so the price is right. I prefer to go to a gym than work out at home because I have a tendency to NOT work out at home. If I go to the gym, I have no choice but to do something. Besides, I can easily make myself go even when I don't want to, just because it's so close to where I am most of the time.
2006-09-21 10:23:29 · answer #2 · answered by Erin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I like to stay fit. We have a small gym in our home, but I like to go to the health club to have different options for a work out.
2006-09-21 10:06:29 · answer #3 · answered by AsianPersuasion :) 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, i belong to a gym because to me, it's worth every penny and more! I go 6 days a week and use all of their facilities: the pool, the equipment, the classes, etc. You only have one body -- you have to do all you can to take care of it!
2006-09-21 10:01:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes I do, because I can use machines I don't have at home, and I enjoy working out with my friends. It's more fun when you do it with other people.
2006-09-21 10:02:12 · answer #5 · answered by blondee 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes!! 24 hr fitness,and i love it!! i go there because it helps relieve stress and gives you a sense of confidence because when your loosing weight you just feel good about yourself
2006-09-21 10:07:05 · answer #6 · answered by littlepinklily03 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would love to but am very self-conscious and it seems the only people there are thin people!
2006-09-21 11:48:30 · answer #7 · answered by Cyn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope cuz I cant watch my own weight
2006-09-21 10:00:33 · answer #8 · answered by J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sorry i dont need any health club coz...iam very healthy(ha ha ha.....)
2006-09-21 10:07:21 · answer #9 · answered by madhu b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
heck no. why spend all that money when you can exercise in your own back yard!!
2006-09-21 10:01:34 · answer #10 · answered by Matt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋